Soundless Echoes
by Laguna's twin sister
Summary: Because the heart speaks its loudest in silence. (Riken x Susukihotaru)


Disclaimers: I don't own Otome Youkai Zakuro, though I think Riken owns my heart.

* * *

_The bright yet far sky_

_So tranquil in this clear day_

_Towers above me_

_Still I strain to look above_

_Captured in its azure depth_

There was something mysterious about his deep blue eyes, for one shy glance was all it took for her to get lost in them.

"Susukihotaru?"

She quickly felt warmth creeping across her cheeks as she tore her eyes away from his, and instead focused on the wooden floors she treaded on. She struggled to calm her heart before she looked up to face him again, this time with a tentative smile on her face.

His countenance remained unflappable as he walked with her in the narrow corridor; though his eyes continued to have that kind expression she knew so well. It was almost comforting how she did not even have to touch him to know how he felt, for she already felt it just by looking at his kind eyes.

She now found it strange how she used to see nothing special about his eyes. Then again, it was not surprising given that she did not even dare to look at them when they first met. He was so tall and imposing, yet soon she found out he was not unapproachable. The first time she realized that his eyes had the color of a clear sky was not when she had to look up to meet his gaze but when she actually looked down upon his kneeling figure. It was the deepest, calmest azure she had seen, and she did not even have to strain her neck to see it. Soon she dared to see more of them, either through stolen glances whenever they ate side by side, or through random peeks whenever he trained outside. She learned to appreciate the different expressions held by his mysterious eyes amidst his perpetually impassive face. She reveled in the sight of his jovial eyes that showed his contentment emanating from within whenever they had successfully accomplished a task. She was fascinated with the intense concentration he held on his gaze whenever he trained. She would have been frightened of his threatening glare, yet she felt warmed by it instead, for the only times she saw him unleash it was in her defense. Nonetheless, it was the same warm expression he held now that she liked most of all, for it was the one she always saw whenever her eyes met his. In her heart, she imagined that look to be the one he reserved solely for her, though she knew in her mind that such was not the case. Riken looked upon everyone with kindness and warmth just as the sky continues to watch over all those under it. That mere thought lifted her heart, as she remembered once more how lucky she was to be his partner, and how wrong she was to think otherwise that fateful day they met for the first time.

"Riken-sama," she murmured as she came to a stop by the front door of the Youjinsha. This time, she dared not to look up to see his face, afraid that he will, in turn, see embarrassment in her eyes after she had spent the past few minutes thinking about him as they walked silently together. "You should probably go back now, Kushimatsu is waiting for you."

He shifted a bit as he waited for her to put on her walking sandals, and she noted the tenseness of his stance. She looked up innocently at him then and saw the subtle concern in his azure eyes. True to his protective nature, this was another expression he often held – one often directed her way.

"I will be fine, Riken-sama," she grinned, "I'll just have to return the katana to Orii's anyway."

Hints of a smile crossed Riken's face and she could only guess what could have caused it. She figured that her gentle expression while she reached for the cleansed sword from his grasp could have been the reason she was looking for, as her calmness now was a far cry from the intense fright she used to display whenever she came near the same sword before it was rid of its curse. Perhaps he remembered how silly she was back then?

Their hands briefly brushed against each other when he handed her the parcel and Susukihotaru felt the familiar warmth course through her veins. She felt Riken's sense of relief, as well as pride, when he saw her fully hold the wrapped sword in her hands.

At this she smiled at him once more, acknowledging how much she had changed since they first met. Indeed, she was probably stronger and braver than before, what with the help and support he and Zakuro had lavished upon her. For that she was grateful, and no words could ever convey her thanks. She then decided that living courageously from then on was her only way of showing her appreciation.

With that thought lifting her spirit further, she turned around and headed for the door. She gave him one final glance but ended up stopping in her tracks when she still saw a tinge of trepidation in his eyes.

"I'll be careful so you do not have to worry about me," she said in an effort to reassure him as she raised her free arm to wave at him. She turned around but stopped once more when she felt his fingers lightly brush an errant lock of hair away from her ears. His touch made her tingle all over, but it was his heart that shook her to the core.

_You will be gone for just a short while, but I will still miss you. _

She turned abruptly and was not too surprised to see that his outward appearance did not betray his true feelings. His remained silent, almost stoic, and she wondered if she only imagined yet another mysterious expression in his eyes. It was not something she had not seen before, yet it still made her heart skip several beats.

He then tilted his lips ever so slightly and gave her a lopsided smile. "Do take care," he said in that quiet tone of his as he turned around briskly and walked back.

With a sigh, she closed the door and went on her way herself, silently hoping that the warmth in her cheeks would quickly fade away.

* * *

_Benign maiden grass_

_Illumed by dancing fireflies_

_Braves the cold night wind_

_It stays firm with gentle grace_

_As it softly warms my heart_

He came so close to losing her that day.

Even when he was well aware that she was perfectly safe, the agonizing thought still lingered in his mind like a curse. Seeing her gentleness, her softness, and her smile in his mind's eye gave his heart an unexpected ache, for the simple reason that it all could have remained a mere memory had he and Zakuro been a second too late. His heart ached all the more, this time with gratitude, when he realized that tomorrow he would still see and feel her gentleness, her softness and her smile.

"Susukihotaru…" he murmured her name in the silence of his room and oddly felt the comfort. He uttered her name yet again, this time more silently almost like a prayer, as more thoughts of her banished the anxieties that plagued in his mind.

_Susukihotaru._ It was a mouthful of a name for such a dainty little person, he thought when they first met, yet he was thankful just the same. The syllables of her name were not even enough for him to get a fill of the sweet voice that pierced through the long awkward silence. She was quite a puzzle to him back then, as she broke all his expectations of what to see upon his assignment to the Youjinsha. Of course Agemaki's irrational fear of spirits did not help, for it somehow made him prepare for the worst. Yet she was not like anything he had ever seen, for she was so fair, almost ethereal, albeit timid and fragile. She was a far cry from his hard-bitten colleagues in the military that it was preposterous to even compare.

So it came as no surprise when he overheard her confess her fear of him. He had neither Hanakiri's wit, nor Agemaki's charm (no matter how contrived). He was well aware that all he had was his freakish height and reserved demeanor. It was no wonder that a gentle lady such as she would be wary of him. He did not know what to tell her to allay her fear, for he had never been good with words. It was only her soft-spoken nature that gave him hope. That seemed to be their common ground. He thought perhaps they would not need words.

He tried to test his theory as the days went by. Although they exchanged nothing but polite remarks about the most mundane things, like food or the weather, he somehow managed to get to know her better. She always did things gracefully whether it was as simple as cleaning the table or watching the flowers bloom. Even when she fought, she seemed so graceful, and he found it hard to reconcile how such a sweet gentle creature could be so strong. He observed her from afar, through quiet glances which she surprisingly returned, even though she always ended up looking away. He then realized that perhaps it was not because of fear of him that she still seemed reluctant to be with him – she was a brave one after all. He thought perhaps she just truly did not like him. For a while it bothered him to think that perhaps his opening up to her would be futile because of that reason. He thus respected her need of space, although there were times where he could not help himself. He always had this urge to touch her, if not to protect her, then to simply feel her gentleness. She never pushed his hands away and it took all of his self control to remember that he must not take advantage of her kindness.

He was thus astonished when he realized the real reason why she seemed to avoid him. She was afraid of reading the very thoughts he struggled to express to her, but could not do so with words. He felt more drawn to her then, for he realized she truly was gentler than he thought her to be. Suddenly he saw the shy way she avoided his gaze in another light. Now he had an inkling as to why she never pushed his hands away whenever he let his control slip. He thought that it was probably because she understood him more than anyone else. Perhaps, by reading his mind, she already understood his feelings for her, feelings that not even he could understand.

He had often been deemed an aloof person, for in some ways he was ignorant with the ways of the world. All he knew was fighting and serving the emperor, as well as protecting the innocent. He never knew about fondness until he experienced it, and it took him a while to understand it was exactly what he felt for her. He never had that urgency, that _necessity_ to protect someone, until he found someone as precious as she was to him.

She became dearer and dearer to his heart as the days passed. He also could not figure out how she managed to become even more beautiful in his eyes. Sometimes his feelings were so strong that he found himself looking away, afraid that his feelings for her would overwhelm him and frighten her in turn. He chose to push the feelings away, instead of hiding it from her, for the last thing he wanted was to sever their bond. Yet when he was alone, these incomprehensible feelings of his filled him with tenderness, or even despair, especially when he remembered her in tears. Seeing her cry seemed to crush his heart into a million pieces and the only thing he could do was to cherish her, hold her in his arms to hide her tears from the world.

But tonight, when he saw her alive and well after a brief brush with death, he realized that his urge to hold her close was not from his constant desire to protect her, but from his ardent yearning to be with her. He held her close not to hide her tears, but to take them and make them his own. He was so scared of losing her; he was so afraid of being unable to share her pain. Had he lost her, she would not even be there to allay his own pain.

_Susukihotaru, _his brave maiden grass, he no longer knew what he would do without her. _Susukihotaru, _he could no longer care less if such a mouthful of a name would be the longest thing, a man like him who easily fumbled with words, would ever say over and over again.

_Susukihotaru_

A sudden knock in his door interrupted his thoughts and he blinked once, twice, and barely managed to get his heart go back to its usual calm.

Yet he felt a tremble as he stood by his open doorway, with his hands still upon the doorknob, as he looked upon his visitor.

"Riken-sama," she started timidly, unable to meet his gaze. She would have looked pale if not for the deep blush across her cheeks, yet her hands seemed stark white as she wrung them as though in punishment for knocking at his door.

He breathed in deeply, relishing the sight of her and feeling warmth flood over his heart. Silently, he closed his door and leaned upon it, strangely having the urge to wring his hands as well. Ultimately, he extended his hand and offered it to her, finally giving in to his heart's content.

"Would you like to take a stroll with me?" he asked her softly, as though he was unable to trust his own voice.

She looked up to finally meet his gaze and smiled warmly. Slowly, timidly, she extended her own dainty hand and placed it upon his. Her blush deepened even further when he closed his hand upon hers, and he wondered if she was able to read just how much she filled his heart.

"Let us go then" he murmured as he took the first step while still firmly holding her hand.

"Yes," she replied, her voice barely audible, though he did not have to hear her words as he felt her comforting grasp.

* * *

_As autumn draws near_

_The maple leaves turn crimson_

_With soundless echoes_

_They shall all fall together_

_Joining in blissful silence_

Hand in hand, the pair walked in silence in the dimly lit corridors, seeming to take their time and savoring each moment. They both felt peace, knowing they were alone, and fully aware of each other's presence.

Yet when they neared the outer gates of the Youjinsha, Riken stopped in his tracks as he heard the faint sound of a woman crying nearby.

"It's Zakuro and Agemaki-san," Susukihotaru whispered, placing her hand almost reassuringly upon Riken's arm. "They've had… we've had quite a day."

He looked at her calm expression, so different from the ones she held hours ago that it sent another tremble in his spine. "Quite a day indeed."

Sensing his agitation, Susukihotaru quickly looked up and placed her hand higher up in his arm, touching his wound lightly. He couldn't quite paint the expression in her eyes, although he had a feeling that she wished to heal him with her hands.

_You already did, you have healed me._

Her eyes widened as she felt his heart. _How did he know? _She wondered, he was probably unaware about the guilt in her heart – nonetheless he knew just how to comfort her, his kindness just seemed to overwhelm her. He may not have said it in words yet his heart, so pure and honest, moved her in ways nothing else could.

"I wish I could tell you…" she whispered telling him the same words she had uttered so many times before. _I wish I could tell you what is in my heart as poignantly as how you revealed what is in yours. _"I wish to… but I could not…"

He slowly let go of her hand, only to place his hand lightly upon the side of her face. Slowly he nudged her to look at him, and he in turn peered into her eyes as they glistened with unshed tears. He was slightly taken aback, and Susukihotaru heard his sharp intake of breath. She looked away, ashamed of hurting him again with her weakness yet his hold stayed true. He moved his hand to caress her cheek with his calloused hands – calloused hands that now seemed so soft because of his gentleness.

He gazed at her deep amethyst eyes so sublime and yet so warm as it filled his heart with tenderness. "I think… I already know," he said solemnly, "or at least I have an inkling." He moved his other hand to brush her damp hair away from her face.

_If it is anything like what I feel for you, I think I know._

"My heart echoes yours," she murmured as a tear finally slipped from her eye. She smiled as her hand brushed with his as he wiped it away, "Like soft ripples in a pond… like birdsongs carried by the wind."

He bent down and placed his lips lightly upon her ear as he enveloped her in his arms.

"Susukihotaru"

His voice conveyed so much meaning in the way he uttered her name, more than any words from him could. Incomprehensible as it seemed, it brought her so much joy for she felt so much closer to him.

It truly was such a mystery.

"Riken-sama"

One they could relish, even in blissful silence.

* * *

Author's Notes: Merry Christmas! I was surprised that there are no Riken x Susukihotaru fics written in English here yet. That's one of the main reasons why I decided to write this fic. Also, I patterned the poems after the Japanese _Tanka._ I thought I just had to put a classic touch for this classic couple. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed (and got all waffy) while writing it. Thanks so much for reading up to this part!


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